Emotionally Supportive Classroom Contexts for Young Latino Children in Rural California

• In Event: Roundtable Session 114
  In Roundtable Session: Emotion and Engagement

Abstract

This study investigates the teacher-child interactions that are characteristic of emotionally supportive classroom contexts for young Latino children in a rural California school district from kindergarten through second grade. A focus is on how teachers in “high-quality” settings draw on students’ daily experiences and cultural backgrounds to communicate higher levels of cognitive and emotional support. Teachers in 32 classrooms participated in an online survey, professional learning community discussions, and classroom observations using the Classroom Assessment Scoring System protocol. Latina/o teachers were more likely than non-Latinos to provide emotionally supportive classroom environments. Data suggest that classroom interactions are malleable and are likely to reflect not simply teacher activity but responses of teachers and students to one another over time.

Authors

• Leslie J. Reese, California State University - Long Beach

• Bryant Jensen, Brigham Young University